Tuesday, May 1, 2007

H. R. Giger

Which famous person would you really like to meet? I have been asked this question very often so far and I always had the same answer: Picasso! He´s my favorite artist, though I do like many others too and the choice is hard.

But a few days ago I read an article about another great artist: H. R. Giger. And I realized that he would be the person I would like to meet in real (and maybe I´m lucky as the artist is still alive). Hans Ruedi Giger is an Academy Award-winning Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer best known for his design work on the film Alien (which earned him an Oscar in 1980). His paintings often display fetishistic sexual imagery and are considered disturbing by many. His main influences were painters Ernst Fuchs and Salvador Dalí.

"Some people say my work is often depressing and pessimistic, with the emphasis on death, blood, overcrowding, strange beings and so on, but I don't really think it is." (H. R. Giger)

I was surprised when I read the interview with him. His artwork is very dark and he doesn´t seem to be like that at all in person. And though he is famous, he is still a humble person and that impresses me.Every year I try to get a few days off from my family and this year I would love to spend the time in Switzerland. As soon as I have the chance, I´m going to visit the Giger Museum in Gruyère.

Actually I didn´t like the movie Alien very much. I´m not so much into scientific space movies and aliens. :) I just like Giger´s airbrush work.

Infact Giger is still alive. I don´t really want to meet and talk with him. I just like to see and watch people and see how they are in real compared to the image they have in public. So it would be nice seeing him somewhere for a couple of minutes. I wouldn´t go to him and talk with him.All the artists you mentioned I like too specially Edward Gorey. I could go on laughing when I see his illustrations.There are so many artists I like... Picasso, Magritte, Lempicka, Hopper, etc. The list is long! :)